Otti: Anyone Praying for Return of Fuel Subsidy Doesn’t Mean Well for Nigeria
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said Nigerians calling for the return of fuel subsidy do not have the country’s best interests at heart.
Otti made the remarks on Friday during an interview with ARISE News, amid renewed debate over petrol pricing and subsidy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governor said he had consistently supported the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that government resources should be directed towards boosting production rather than subsidising consumption.
According to Otti, he advocated the removal of subsidy as far back as 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global demand for crude oil had fallen significantly.
“I wrote in 2020 during the COVID and at that time nobody was buying oil and I said it was a good time to remove subsidy,” he said.
Otti maintained that subsidising consumption could encourage excessive fuel usage because consumers would not bear the full cost of their consumption.
He, however, said government intervention should focus on supporting production and improving the economy.
“So I have always heard the view that once you subsidise consumption, what you get is exactly what you wanted. So I don’t have a problem supporting production but consumption should not be subsidised,” he said.
The governor acknowledged that the removal of subsidy had initially caused hardship but argued that the policy was necessary to promote more responsible consumption and reduce waste.
“You know as election approaches people will be making all sorts of arguments but removing the subsidy was the right thing to be done and I don’t think anybody who is praying that subsidy returns means well for the country,” Otti said.
He also described the former subsidy regime as a “scam”, citing alleged fraudulent practices associated with the system as another reason for opposing its return.
Otti’s comments came days after Rabiu Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), said an administration led by Peter Obi would reintroduce fuel subsidy in a different form if elected in 2027.
Kwankwaso said the proposed approach could involve greater government investment in domestic refining to increase local production and make petrol available to Nigerians at what he described as a reasonable price.
The renewed debate has placed fuel pricing and the future of subsidy among the major economic issues likely to feature in discussions ahead of the 2027 elections.
